Battle of the Self Tanners

July 18, 2017

For the last several months I’ve been testing out these four self tanning products to share my thoughts on their effectiveness and to share my overall opinion of them in hopes it will make your decision of which to purchase a lot easier.

1. St. Tropez Classic Bronzing Mousse – I purchased this from Sephora in November, while it did what it is supposed to (make me tan) I think I would have gotten better results from a darker shade. This particular mousse becomes patchy after about the third day and has an awful scent and you would need to purchase a tanning mitt to apply it. It transfers horribly – my sheets are literally brown when I wake up in the mornings. For the price I paid for it (which I won’t share because of my pride) I’m going to have to give this a 3 out of 5 stars.

2. LA Tan Sunless Mousse in Medium/Dark – I purchased this from Walmart for less than $10 and it’s bomb. I develop a natural tan overnight that seems to fade evenly over several days. The scent it still pretty strong, but it isn’t anything worse than what you would expect from a normal self-tanner. And again, you will need a tanning mitt to apply this product and it does transfer, but for the price it’s not horrible. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

3. Loreal Sublime Bronze in Deep – This aerosol self-tanner is great for a slight dose of color, but not the best to deepen your skin tone. I purchased it from a local drugstore a few months ago. I used this in combination with the above product to avoid patchiness and help my tan last longer. It can be a little time consuming waiting for the product to dry and keeping it from spraying all over the room. The scent isn’t terrible, and it is fairly inexpensive. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

4. Neutrogena Build A Tan – I’m going to cut to the chase, this product is AMAZING. It is a lotion self-tanning product that deepens your skin tone the more you use it. It has a great scent and isn’t streaky or patchy. It actually makes my skin feel hydrated and isn’t orange (or at least I don’t think so). It dries in less than five minutes and doesn’t transfer. I purchased it from Walmart and it’s at an affordable price point. I would totally recommend this product! 5 out of 5 stars!